


Just Like Any Other Snot Nosed Kid

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Babysitter Castiel, Childhood, Gen, Inspired by Art, Kid Fic, Witches, baaabieees, boo boos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-02
Updated: 2013-12-02
Packaged: 2018-01-03 06:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1067405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Dean wake up as children after a case. They find they are the victims of an honest mistake. Castiel plays babysitter for a while.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Honest Witch's Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Oh look, it's the piece of art that inspired it. Damn cute stuff, Rookhazel.  
> http://consistentdaydreams.tumblr.com/post/51502204313/rookhazel-sam-and-dean-tick-off-a-witch-baby

    Sam and Dean stopped in the park for a well deserved break. They had brunch of cheap burgers and a salad sitting on the hood of the Impala. Dean talked about the case, probably a coven of witches, while Sam watched dogs running through the park and the kids on the playground. An old yellow labrador waddled up to them, “Hi there,” Sam smiled as he crouched down to scratch her chin. She nuzzled his chest. Dean's usual disdain for dogs softened on seeing the aging animal; he hopped off the hood and gave the dog a scratch behind the ears; her wagging tail hitting his shins. They enjoyed her company until someone whistled from across the park and the dog waddled off. “Back to work Sammy.”

     Sam and Dean crashed in the motel after hunting down the witches and locking up a cursed tv set they found along the way. Dean didn’t even get a chance to knock back a beer. Sometimes even easy jobs just wore you down. Sam must have forgotten to flip the “Do not disturb” sign because they were awoken half an hour later by the maid.

“Room service- oh I’m sorry, young man, I’ll come back when your parents are here.” she said before Dean was fully awake. Parents? He rolled over to look for Sam and got a smack in the face from the 80’s. Sam couldn’t have been more than 4 years old, he was sucking his thumb and the corner of a tiny size flannel shirt.. Dean put things together and ran for the bathroom mirror. He was barely tall enough to reach it.  His jaw, now round and soft with baby fat, dropped as he stared into his own giant green eyes. “Dean?” a little voice cried from the other room. Thump. “Ow, what’s going-” He stopped when he’d waddled over to the bathroom. “Dean what’s going on? I’m short! Why? Is it a hex?” The words sounded hilarious rolling off a four year old’s tongue; except for the possibility that they did get hexed by a powerful witch. “Let’s get back there and hunt them down!” Dean tried to sound tough but Sammy brought his enthusiasm down, “You’re too little, Dean. You can’t drive.” He frowned and hopped on to the edge of the bed to think. “Cas?” Sammy offered.

“Can’t hurt to try.” Dean closed his eyes and prayed, “Cas? Could you come down here for a sec and-” He heard the flutter of wings before he could finish. Castiel couldn’t hide the grin on his face. The boy’s latest hijinks reminded him the tricks Gabriel used to play.

“What’s going on, Cas?” Dean demanded. He felt restless, like he wanted to chase down this witch, no matter his size. Cas just shook his head. Cut off from heaven again, he was powerless.

“I’m afraid I can’t fix this, but I know who did this to you, their spell left a mark I can trace. Come with me.” He put a hand on Dean’s shoulder, and scooped up Sam in his other arm because he was small and it was convenient. With a rushing of wings the group arrived outside a small suburban house in the same neighborhood they’d just come from. The flower beds were neatly kept, but thick ivy ran up the bricks. As they approached the front door they could hear a large dog barking.  An energetic golden lab greeted them behind the front door, trailing its leash. A middle aged woman with frizzy, greying brown hair followed and bent to pick it up. “Oh, Hello boys, I was just going to take Maggie out for a walk, but can I help you with something?” she asked sweetly.

“She doesn’t look like a witch,” Sammy blurted out. Dean would have smacked him on the arm had Cas not been holding him out of reach.

“Ooo,” she cooed apologetically, “You must be those nice young hunters that were here clearing out that nasty coven earlier. I saw you at the diner doing research” she looked them up and down. The labrador pulled at her leash.  “Why don’t you come with me? I’ve got a stroller in the garage if you’d like to use it.” Sam just shook his head vigorously, looking perfectly at home in Castiel’s arms.

As they made their way down the street, the witch, the angel and the hunters looked like a typical family walking the dog. She introduced herself as Ava. A natural born psychic, she also dabbled in simple magic, she’d worked with hunters before. Sam and Dean wouldn’t have noticed her under other circumstances “Now, Dean, you said it was?” he nodded, “You haven’t introduced me to your friend,” glancing at Castiel. “This is Cas. He’s a hunter.” he told her proudly.

“And?” no point in keeping secrets from a psychic. “I’m an angel of the Lord.” Cas volunteered.

“My, my, my.” she knew he was something different, but this shocked her, she couldn’t quite find her next words. “You boys are lucky.”

“Yeah, about this spell though.” Dean got straight to business. They stopped in a large park where Ava let Maggie off the leash. The dog bounded away as they sat down at a picnic table.

     “If your angel says the spell comes from me,  it must be that one I used for Mags.” she glanced over her shoulder to watch the retriever lope through the grass. She’s getting old and arthritic and I wanted to give her back a few of her younger years, sort of as a thanks for all she’s given me. Not sure how it could have rubbed off on you boys though.” Sam stood up on Cas’ lap to look over the table and behind Ava at Maggie, Cas winced as one little foot landed on a sensitive place and lifted Sam off him.  “Dean, that dog at lunch?” Sam remembered. Dean nodded excitedly; his legs which had been swinging under the table stopped as he explained. “When we got into town this morning we stopped in this park and met a really old dog, it must have been Maggie. We got hairs all over us!” He was bouncing  in his seat now. “ Ava smiled.   “That would do it.” she agreed.

“We’d like you to reverse it now, Ava.” Cas  requested.

     She grimaced a little. “Well, I didn’t really research that, but I’ll get right on it.” She whistled and Maggie bolted back. She explained the work she had while she clipped the leash on. “It took me a few days to find the original spell, I don’t know how long it will take me to prepare the counter; is there any way I can get in touch?” Sammy, out of habit, patted his tiny coat for a notepad and pen. “I don’t think your little fingers are that dexterous right now, Sam.” Ava laughed, pulling out her own pen. Before she left she had some advice for Castiel, “Those boys are just itching to run around and raise hell; let ‘em loose on the playground for a few hours.” Sam didn’t need permission, he made a beeline to the swing set, Dean dutifully chased after him.

 


	2. A Day at the Park With Mr. Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel has the most domestic afternoon of his life and learns a little bit about parenting from a new friend. He tells a little bit of a lie.

     Cas pushed Sam in the swing for a while till he decided the jungle gym looked more interesting. Dean didn’t need to be asked to take care of Sam, he heartily volunteered, and convinced Cas to sit by on a park bench. He watched Sam dig in the dirt and Dean attack the monkey bars. He was wrapped up in their play when a voice interrupted him. “Mind if I join you?” He looked up to see a young redhead with a diaper bag and a stroller. He scooted over to give her room. “Which one’s yours?” she asked. Castiel glanced in her eyes and knew she made friends easily, people felt at ease around her and relied on her in times of need. She had a talent for comforting. Her children trusted her.

“The blond boy in the leather jacket, and the one with brown, curly hair in the flannel shirt.” He grinned at them. “I’m their...guardian.” She checked on the sleeping baby girl in the stroller before asking, “Are you new in town?”

“We’re just passing through.”

“Where ya headed?”

“Home.” He lied. The boys would be on the road for months, and his home was always a mystery. “I just got them from their old foster care parents. She cocked her head in interest.

“Their mother died when Sam was six months old. Their father became an alcoholic and they wandered the country looking for work. He died a few years ago and they bounced around the system. Their last home situation was...unfortunate.”

“You know, people like you really are heros.” Cas just stared onward. Sam threw sand at Dean, who laughed when he missed. They got up to chase each other under and over the jungle gym.

“In all reality, they saved me. I was transient as a youth, my own family was very broken. One of my brothers was disowned by my father, one of them ran away from home. I haven’t seen my father since. I rebelled and got involved with the wrong crowd multiple times. I was addicted and in rehab for a time. When I ran away, I was too old to have foster parents, but, being one has given me something incredible to dedicate my life to. They give me hope every day.”

“Wow.” she breathed, absorbing the story. “That’s... an amazing story. It really is the little things that make all the difference.” she answered his story with simple words knowing she couldn’t convey the impact he had. They shared a grateful and empathetic silence that comes when a stranger bears their soul. A small cry of pain brought them back. “Cassie!” Sam cried out. He leaped off the bench as Dean called to him, “Sammy cut his knee!” He was doing his best to carry the injured toddler across the park. Sammy was crying loudly. Cas took him from Dean and looked at his bleeding knee as he made his way back to the park bench. Dean followed, looking mortified that he’d let his little brother get hurt. Without what Dean called his “mojo” he didn’t know how to heal Sam’s scraped knee. The red headed mother could see worry in Cas’ face as he returned; new father anxiety syndrome. A man is frightened of nothing until his child gets hurt  for the first time. “You need a band aid?” she offered. Sam cried and Cas looked blankly on. “Here,” she held out her arms and Castiel handed over his sobbing charge. “It’s okay, Sammy, my name’s Holly, I’m going to look at your knee, okay. Can you show me your knee, Sammy?” She spoke softly and wiped the tears from his eyes. Sam pointed to his bannged up knee. “Ouch, did you fall down and hurt your knee?” He answered with a little nod. Cas followed her back to the park bench with a hand on Dean’s shoulder.

“We were just playing chase and he fell down. I didn’t do anything.” Dean explained nervously. He stood by as Cas sat next to Holly and watched her doctor a wet faced Sam. She wet a burp cloth from her stroller and carefully wiped the sand and blood off before applying a band-aid and ointment.  She finished off by placing a ginger kiss on top.

“All better, Sammy. Do you have any other owies?” she inquired as she wiped his eyes and nose with the other end of the cloth. He pointed to his forehead which was starting  to bruise. He didn’t seem tired or sluggish, so she didn’t worry. "He's fine,” Holly pronounced with a gentle kiss on his forehead. “It’s not your fault, Dean, toddlers are really top heavy, but they’re tough. Aren’t you, Sammy?” she sweet talked to him and kissed his forehead again. She handed him over to Cas where he curled up and wrapped himself in the trench coat. Before he settled in he turned to Dean, “Kiss better?” Dean leaned in and kissed the top of his curls. Holly made space and he hopped on the bench. “Sammy has a great big brother, Dean. You take good care of him.” she complimented as she patted his shoulder.

    Dean leaned against Cas’ arm, trying not to show how tired he was. He just sat quietly while Holly and Cas talked about the most normal things imaginable; dentists, gardens, preschool. He actually enjoyed it while he was paying attention, but he’d acquired an eight year old’s attention span and soon went to playing in the dirt again. Sam fell asleep under the trench coat in ten minutes. “Look’s like nap time.” she said quietly to avoid  the disapproval  of a boy who hadn’t yet grown out of naps. “It was wonderful talking to you-” she stopped when she realized he’d never introduced himself, “Sam called you Cassie, is it short for something?”

“Castiel.”

"That’s an interesting name. Your parents must have been very creative." Well, I wish you the best, Castiel. Trust me, it does get easier, and you don’t have to be perfect to do it.” she reassured him as he got up to leave. Before they were out of earshot she called out to Dean,

“Hey, stay cool buddy,” and waved goodbye.

 


	3. Not Quite an Honest Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy's care free afternoon ends and Castiel reflects.

     Cas put Sammy down for a nap in the motel and convinced Dean to lie down and close his eyes. He fell asleep in 5 minutes. Cas had watched the boys sleep before. They always looked innocent and vulnerable. Now they looked peaceful. He thought about the joy he’d seen in their faces while they played this afternoon. A simple day like that was one of the greatest gifts those boys could ever receive in this life. The cell phone buzzed in his coat pocket. “This is Castiel.” he answered a bit timidly.

“Castiel, this is Ava, I found the spell, I just need to know the boy’s birthdays.”

“Ava, tell me the truth about that spell, It wasn’t just for Maggie was it?” he voiced his suspicions.

“You saw through that, did you? Originally it was for Maggie, but when I saw those boys at  the park this morning, I could just tell. They were always hunters, they never got to be kids. I wanted to give them that.”

“They could have been hurt, Ava.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t have let that happen. I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t known they had someone to call, I just didn’t know they had their own guardian angel.” After a brief silence she asked, “Did they have a good day at the park?”

“Yes. They’re sleeping now.”

“Good. I’ll change them back now. They should wake up in a few minutes.” she explained.

“Ava?”

“Yes, Castiel?”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.” She hung up.  As he slipped the phone back in his pocket he brushed a curl off Sammy’s round cheek. He still sucked his shirt sleeves. Dean had curled up clutching a pillow. In a few moments these baby faces would become sharp and hardened. Their scars would return and their eyes would regain their darkness. Their shoulders would bend under memories and duties. Castiel considered calling her back and saying, “No, leave them be.” But Sam and Dean did more good for the world as hunters. Their reward would come in the end but for now they had plenty of work to do. While he waited, he sat on the bed and watched them sleep. He took the chance to stroke Dean’s hair like his mother would, the way his father never allowed himself to. Dean stirred. Within the blink of an eye the boys were back, Cas returned to his chair across the room before they both woke up with a start. “I’m tall again! I can talk like an adult again. Man, that was weird.” Sam exclaimed.

“Yes, it would appear you’ve returned to your appropriate age and stature, Sam.” Cas said, “How are you feeling, Dean?”

“Fine, look, don’t tell anyone you were our... baby sitter, Cas. I don’t want it gettin’ out-”

“That you kissed your baby brother on the forehead?” Sam interrupted with a smirk.

“You asked for it, Sammy, you were crying like a baby.” Sam opened his mouth to protest, “Back me up here, Cas, he cried and he asked me to kiss his boo boo better,” Dean mocked.

“You did cry like an infant, Sam.” Cas agreed and Sam rolled his eyes.

“What about that girl you were talking with, Cas?” Sam changed the subject.

“Yeah, Cas, tell us about that red head you were chatting up,” Dean pressed

“Holly provided some helpful advice, I didn’t know how long I would have to care for you in that state, and for your information, Dean, she approached me initially, I wasn’t ‘chatting her up’ ” he defended, emphasizing with air quotes. “I found our conversation...enlightening. Now if you two don’t plan on getting into anymore trouble I’m going to attempt to recharge my ‘mojo’ as you call it.” He stood to leave but Sam stopped him, “Wait a sec, Cas. Thanks for taking care of us.” He extended his long arms for a hug. Dean waited patiently for his turn. “Thanks, Cas.” he said as he patted him on the back, “If we ever need a babysitter again,” Dean joked, releasing the hug.

“I will be happy to provide watch care the next time you’re incapacitated as children.” Whoosh.


End file.
